Madam Kay's Seriously Fun Adventure

Having already been on one of Kay's trips to Cairo & thoroughly enjoyed it, I was a bit concerned that my next one couldn't possibly be as good the second time around.  I mean, that would be pushing my luck a bit ........ wouldn't it?

Being a somewhat nervous traveller, going to Egypt without my husband was a big step for me.  I had of course, previously persuaded him to take me on a long weekend to Cairo a couple of years ago, but there is very little time to see the sights in 4 days, let alone drag a very reluctant man round the Khan el Khalili market searching for decent dance attire.  So, one of Kay's trips seemed like a good idea & the best solution all round.  On her medeana trip in February 2003, I had a fabulous time.  It was a small group and we got lots of attention & hand holding from Kay.  Our main priority at the time was shopping for costumes and getting that special outfit from one of the costumiers.  Unless you have been shown exactly the whereabouts of the very popular Madam Abla and Madam Hekmat, let alone Amira of Pharonics, they are quite hard to find.  Not impossible, but even with an English speaking taxi driver and an address, not a simple task, as I had previously found out to my husbands annoyance.  Kay, of course, knows all the costumiers very well, so much so that she has almost become one of the family.  'Madam Kay, you must stay and eat with us', they all seem to say.  The second thing on our list was to see some dancers - and we saw lots.  From the extremely tacky at the Palmera nightclub right up to the one and only Fifi Abdou.  This will definitely be something to tell my grandchildren:  the fact that I sat at a front table at the Semi Ramis and saw Fifi strut her stuff - Wow!

We did do a bit of sightseeing on this first trip but as some of us had been before, we arranged to have some additional private lessons with Raqia Hassan instead.  That's one of the nice things about Kays trips - she is so flexible and can accommodate most needs - be it a beginner or even a non dancer.  Kay has bags of patience and always makes you feel like she is your personal guide.

So, a year down the line, I decided to go again, but this time on her Rakassa trip which is advertised as specifically for dancers.  The difference being that you don't only go for the shopping and to see shows, you also have at least 10 hours of lessons with the top people.  Now, when I say top people, I never expected to have a private lesson with the amazing Dina.  I must admit at this point that I was a little star struck when we entered her enormous appartment and met her.  But there she was, without a scrap of make up on, and dressed ready to give us a lesson.  And what a lesson it was.  Dina was professional, open & relaxed and taught us some amazing steps.  She has a great sense of humour and I really liked her.  As the days went by we had more lessons with the likes of Raqia Hassan - she is always so much fun - and Shalaby who taught us lots of interesting stick technique.  Thursday was Dandesh who, at the end of the lesson, performed to a song I had seen her do on video at the Ahlan wa Sahlan festival where she mimics famous dancers.  All tongue in cheek and very funny to see.  Last but not least, we had our class with Randa and boy did she put us through our paces.  The sweat was pouring off us even in an air conditioned studio.  She was brilliant and I think I got the most from her class.  I could now see why Kay had stipulated this trip was for intermediate & above.  So, if you are not sure and have to ask yourself whether you are intermediate or not, then you are probably not.  The standard, as you would expect is very high out there & they pack a lot into their classes.

Later, after that exhausting lesson with Randa, Yasmina took us to see the Tannoura, a Government run folkloric show up in the Citadel.  The show was even more mesmeric than the last time I saw it - probably because the stage was bigger and they seemed to have more musicians and dancers.  We chatted to Yasmina before it started and were moaning about how disheartened some of us felt because Randa's class was so difficult.  Yasmina, who had been watching the class, made us feel better by explaining Randa had taught us some really hard technique, some of which only Randa can do, and we should be pleased with what we had managed.  So having put our minds at ease and now glowing with a sense of achievement, we sat back and watched the show.  If you do get to see the Tannoura, I would suggest a couple of things:  if you want a front seat, get there early & run up the hill when they open the gates.  Take a jumper as it can get chilly.  One last thing, watch out for the bearded Mr Spock on tabla and the young Marc Bolan look alike on the duff.

As one of our group was departing earlier than the rest of us, Saturday night was the only evening left to go and see Lucy at the Parisiana nightclub.  Kay made quite a few phone call to find out whether she would actually turn up to dance or not.  Last time I went, we sat up till the early hours of the morning only to be disappointed.  This time, with her ever increasing list of contacts, she managed to speak to Lucy who said she would dance.  So, armed with a packet of pro-plus, we went to the Parisiana.  On the last trip, we did get to see her on another night and as she had been so good, I was prepared to sit up again till 3.30am to see her, and true to form, she didn't fail to deliver.  In fact, I think Lucy's show was my favourite as she is such a good entertainer.  Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate Kay selling her body to get a front table at the Semi Ramis to see Dina, but Lucy was so ..... Lucy I suppose.  It's just something you have to experience.

If you've never been to Cairo or never travelled without your hubby and are a bit of a wuss like me, Kay's trips are the ones to go on.  But then again, if you want to see the real Cairo and go to places that most tourists would miss, Kay's trips are also the ones to go on.  But most of all, if you are serious about your dance and want to work as hard as you play, and take home a wealth of new knowledge, it's Kay's Rakassa trip you want.

So from a softy Southerner who really appreciates a bit of no nonsense Northern grit and the regaling of many a funny story and all the raucous laughter we had, thank you Kay, well done, you really earned that double gin and tonic at the airport!

Click on the pictures for a larger view.